After the Numbness
by LadyDracula
Summary: A new villain is in town, and he has plans to rid Gotham City of Batman once and for all. He sends his ninjaassassin spy in to learn more about Batman. He doesn't realize that she may lead to his undoing rather than Batman's.
1. Send in the Ninja

**Chapter 1: Send in the Ninja**

Corinna stood in the dark and damp room of her boss's laboratory . 'I don't get why he insists on meeting down here,' she thought looking around using her night vision goggles. Her boss was nowhere in the room, but his many experiments were. Corinna considered going over and investigating, but she knew that she'd get caught as soon as she so much as tried it. So, she left the lab tables alone; the serums bubbled, the creatures in cages rattled their steel prisons, and the computers printed off information. Corinna hated being in the lab; it made her uneasy even if she was a trained ninja and qualified assassin. Something just didn't seem right to her.

"Corinna, my ninja, good to see you."

"Yea, yea, get to the point, boss."

Corinna's boss was a cyborg named Synthroid. He'd been her leader for as long as she could remember. First, he'd taken her in after she was left an orphan by a terrible crime spree. Then, Synthroid took her under his wing while she was taught by a famous master ninja. It took several long years of hard work, but Corinna had proved to be a very good ninja that served as an assassin for Synthroid. Recently, he'd relocated his research to Gotham City to be closer to resources on Batman. He had plans to become the number one villain in Gotham, and he was going to show the rest of the villains that he was on top by taking Batman out of the picture. For the information to take down the Gotham icon, Synthroid needed Corinna to do some spying for him.

"I need you to spy for me and hunt down any information you can soak up on… Batman." Synthroid told the seventeen-year-old standing before him.

Corinna crossed her arms. "What is it I need to find out?"

"Who Batman is; that is my main concern. But, that won't be so simple. First, you'll have to find Batman on a scan of the city." Synthroid glided along the cold, concrete floor with his black lab coat billowing around him.

"You can't find that out on your computers?" Corinna retorted.

Synthroid spun around on his heel. "I still need you to test his strengths and weaknesses. You must track him down and challenge him, Corinna."

Corinna pondered over the mission before her. It was most definitely a challenge, to say the least. She'd heard that Batman was pretty tough, and she knew that he was secretive. Anyone with a secret identity, like herself, had to be secretive; it was a must. Corinna paced back and forth for a moment. "What will I get for this," she had to ask.

Synthroid's left eye twitched. "Why must there be a bribe? Helping in the take-down of the city's treasured hero isn't enough of a reward for you, my dear?"

Corinna laughed. "Why would you even think it would be enough? I won't be mentioned. You will be the one put on a pedestal by the scum of Gotham when Batman falls, not me."

"Corinna, you are like a little sister to me. You won't be forgotten when the spoils are handed out."

'Sure.' Corinna thought. "All right, boss. I'll go find out what I can on the Bat."

"Make me proud." Sythroid said as he involved himself with his experiments.

"Always." Corinna replied half-heartedly as she headed out in her black pleather bodysuit and mask. She carried a pack wired with a communication link along with her laser guns and knives. Corinna was ready for when she met Batman.

Okay, I've come to the end of the first chapter. I will update as soon as I can. Reviews are always appreciated. Okay I have to go now; I have to get ready to go to school.


	2. Leaving Gotham

A/N: I do not own the characters from Batman Beyond. I do own Synthroid and Corinna.

Chapter 2

"Terry, I have to talk to you." Dana Tan told her long time boyfriend.

Terry McGinnis froze in his stride. "What do you mean? What's wrong?" He feared he'd done something wrong, and he couldn't bare the thought that he'd hurt Dana. He knew that barely seeing her because of the time he gave to be Batman, and he knew that tended to leave her ego bruised and feeling that she didn't mean as much to him as she used to.

Dana caressed Terry's cheek and kissed him gently on his lips. "Terry, my family is moving."

Dana still had her eyes closed but heard Terry's surprised gasp. She felt her heart drop at the sound, and she let her hand slip off of Terry's cheek. Slowly, she stepped back away from him and looked up to his eyes. "Ter," she whispered.

Terry couldn't form words, but he did let out whimpers. He was in denial, and he didn't believe what his ears had heard. "No," was all he could force out of his tight throat.

Dana took his right hand in her own. "Terry."

Terry pulled his hand from Dana's grasp. "Why," he whispered as he backed up a few feet.

Dana didn't like the accusing look in his eyes. "I'm not doing this to hurt you, Terry. I just have no choice in the matter. My parents want to move, and I have no choice but to follow them. I'm underage after all, so they still control my life."

"Where?" Terry asked trying to keep the tears from welling up in his pale blue eyes.

"We're not sure yet, but it won't be close." Dana's eyes filled with tears.

Terry watched a tear fall down Dana's cheek, and his throat began to burn from having to force his own tears back. "We could make it work, Dana, I--"

Dana shook her head. "Terry, you know it wouldn't work. Eventually, it would be too hard on both of us. It isn't fair for me to ask that much from you."

Terry almost felt betrayed as his mind misunderstood Dana's sentimental reply. "Or is it you're tired of me and this is an excuse to move on?"

"Terry, it isn't that. I would never do that to you." Dana's eyes welled with tears as she looked up at Terry. "Don't you know me enough to know that?"

Terry heard Dana's words and saw the tears in her eyes and couldn't take it any longer. He collapsed into her arms and let his tears go. "God, Dana, I'm going to miss you so bad," he admitted.

Dana stroked his back. "I know, and I'm going to miss you just as much. But in time, you'll move on."

'I don't know how that could happen,' he thought as his body went through the sorrow of such a sudden heartache.

Hidden deep within the shadows, Corinna spied on the couple's break up. She'd quickly found out that Terry McGinnis was the new Batman. Watching the goings-on, Corinna could not help but smile. 'Well, this is going to be easier than I thought. He's broken, so distracting him will be very easy. All I have to do is wait for him to be on the rebound, then I'll snag him. It couldn't have been easier than this,' she thought as she shut off her recording feature on the device in her hand. Corinna returned the small recording device to one of the four pouches on her belt. 'All is well, and Synthroid will be very proud.'


	3. The Ninja and the Bat

A/N: CATgrl, I'm glad I have your attention. I just hope my story can continue to hold it. Thanks for the review though; it gave me reason to get right to work on the story.

Chapter 3

Later that night, Terry was suited up and flying through Gotham City following leads that Bruce Wayne sent to him from the Batcave. He had not mentioned his break-up to his mentor, but Bruce knew something had happened. He'd studied people for too long to not realize a personal problem was occurring. He hadn't pressed Terry on the matter because the seventeen-year-old was just as head strung as he had once been.

"It's unusually quiet tonight, Terry." Bruce told Terry.

Terry let out a sigh. "I'm surprised this city isn't swarming with Jokerz since my day hasn't been top notch."

Bruce let the irritating question over why Terry was depressed go, even though he feared that if trouble did arise that Terry would be too distracted to respond properly. "I don't understand why it's so quiet."

Corinna sneaked into the city museum and walked around searching for security lasers. She had heavily-made metal shoulder pads and chest plate. She also had metal bands on her forearms and thighs. All four had three curved spikes sticking out of the side. The spikes were for show, and they could be removed if need be. She used the spike bands to store knives in. Two knives were in her armbands, one at her side, and one ninja swords hanging from her belt along with her gun. Corinna was armed and ready to face Batman.

Corinna's metal earpieces were rigged with wires that tapped into the mainframe of the building. She followed the information to the security booth surrounded by safety glass. 'Not safe enough,' she thought as she drew her sword. Her sword had a name, Arven, had engraved symbols to indicate Corinna's ninja training and protect her on her journeys.

Corinna drew back and slammed her sword into the glass as hard as she could, and the safety glass shattered as if it had been ordinary glass. Lights flashed to indicate trouble, and Corinna smiled. "Bring on the Bat," she said out loud.

Terry was still soaring through the sky when Bruce came over the headset. "Terry, there's disturbance in the Gotham City Museum."

"I'm on my way." Terry said as he spun around in the direction of the museum.

By the time Terry arrived a few minutes later, Corinna was waiting on top of the roof the building next to the museum. She watched patiently awaiting Batman to show his face again. Finally, he reemerged from the building, and Corinna leapt through the air.

Batman never knew what hit him as Corinna smashed into him. He was knocked through the air and onto a nearby roof. He saw a flash of a black costume and metal accessories, but he didn't get a good look. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet and saw the figure crouched on the ground staring at him from behind a mask covering down to the nose.

Corinna rose and let Batman take notice that she was a woman. "So, you're Gotham's hero, Bats," she said condescendingly.

"Yes, and who are you?"

Corinna grinned. "I'm the beginning to your end, Batboy," she said smugly.

Corinna leapt in the air and landed a kick in Batman's stomach before he could even see her move. Her ninja training surpassed all that he had learned, and she was finding him less of a challenge that she'd thought. It actually disappointed her that her victory would be so easy.

Batman backflipped away from another attack, but Corinna leapt in the air and landed with her knee against Batman's shoulders. He let out a cry of pain and dropped to the ground. "Come on, Batman, is this all you've got?"

"Terry." Bruce asked worriedly. "What's going on?"

Batman rose up off of the ground and took a deep breath. "It's okay, I've got it under control."

Corinna laughed. "Sure you do," she chimed in. "Just keep telling yourself that."

Corinna's overconfidence led her being knocked off of her feet by Batman. He'd sneaked up behind her using the Camo-mode on his belt and gave her a nice shove. She fell onto the cold, hard concrete of the roof and shot Batman an angry stare.

As quick as a cat, Corinna was on her feet clutching Arven. Like lightning, she'd slashed the front of Batman's suit; right across the red bat on the front. It gave Terry a shock inside of the suit, but the electrical shock didn't harm Corinna since her gloves were lined with rubber. Batman dropped down to one knee but didn't take his stare off of Corinna. The electrical energy spat for a few seconds then spurted only every thirty seconds.

"Terry!" Bruce yelled; afraid for the safety of his protégé.

Corinna held her sword high and watched the fear in Batman's eyes. She started bringing the sword down with all of her might but knew that Batman would scurry out of its path. She didn't care if she didn't injure Batman because she was using scare tactics and proving that she was a worthy opponent.

Batman had no doubt in his mind that Corinna was a worthy opponent, and he rolled out of the way of the sword. He jumped to his feet and saw that the sword had never touched the ground and was safe in its hilt. The ninja was standing in a fighting stance, and Batman waited for an attack.

Corinna paused then charged Batman; her fists flew through the air, but Batman was able to dodge them. 'Okay, he does have some skill,' she thought as she brought her knee up into Batman's stomach while he was focused on her fists. She wasn't fighting fair, but that mattered little to her since she was just getting a job done.

Batman doubled over only to receive a kick in his face, and he fell backwards. Corinna leapt into the air showing off her martial arts training from earlier points in her life. Batman back flipped onto his feet before Corinna's feet smashed into where he had been laying. "What do you want," he asked.

Corinna's mouth formed a grin. "I want to who is the man behind the bat," she replied as she pulled out a syringe from one of the pouches on her belt.

Batman was perplexed, and Corinna took his second of hesitation to jump him and bring him to the ground. She sat upon his chest and jammed the syringe needle through the Batsuit and into Terry's flesh.

Batman let out a cry of pain, and Bruce kept calling his name. "Terry, what's going on," he demanded.

"Don't worry, Bruce Wayne," Corinna told the former Batman, "Your batboy is fine."

Bruce stared at the computer screen as Corinna looked directly into Batman's eyes, which were wired to show Bruce everything that Terry saw. "How does this girl know about us," he asked himself.

"I know everything about the both of you." Corinna told him. "And, you'll have to trust me on that until I decide to reveal myself once more.

Corinna pulled the syringe out of Terry's skin and smiled at seeing it full of blood. She back flipped off of Terry's chest and placed the syringe in a container for safe keeping. The blood was going to be a back-up blackmail against Batman if all else failed. She'd use his DNA to reveal his true identity to everyone.

Batman got up off of the ground and prepared to resume the fight, but Corinna back flipped off of the building's roof. "Catch ya later, Bats," she called out.

Terry took to flight again in search of Corinna, but the streets and alleys were clear. There was no sign of the ninja. "Damn," he muttered.

"She's gone." Bruce stated.

"Yea, I noticed." Terry snapped back as he touched the slash across his suit then to the thin layer of his suit at his neck, where Corinna had taken blood.


	4. Tomorrow's Plans

A/N: Thanks to Catgrl for the review. I hope you enjoyed the fight in the last chapter; I did. I also always try to respond to those who review my story. OH BTW, Trecebo, I really don't know what you meant by OC. I could explain about Corinna if I knew more about what you'd like to know about her. Anyway, I appreciate my reviews because they help stir up the writing process.

Chapter 4

Corinna entered Synthroid's lab to find him covering over his experiments on the back table. Corinna gave it no thought because she was excited about her victory. Synthroid glanced over to her. "How did it go," he asked.

Corinna pulled out the container with the syringe full of blood. She grinned, glanced at the syringe, and said, "I believe it went very well."

Synthroid's face lit up when he saw the syringe of blood. He reached out, and Corinna let him see it. "Well done, my ninja, well done." A smile crept across his face. "I'll put it in one of my freezing machines for safe keeping," he told her.

"That's fine. It's for if I need to black mail the Bat." Corinna said putting her hands on her hips.

Synthriod travels over to his freezing machine, punched a few buttons, and waited for the refrigerator unit to appear. He set the syringe down inside of the freezer and pressed the buttons to get it to retract into the lab tables once again.

He turned to Corinna. "I need to you distract Batman tomorrow."

"How come?"

"I'm going after the boss villains in this city tomorrow, and I don't need the Bat on my tail. It'd ruin everything."

Corinna nodded. "I won't let you down."

Synthroid smiled. "I have full confidence that you won't. Now, go and rest. You'll need it."

Corinna nodded and headed out of Synthroid's lab. She took an elevator to the top floor of the building, where Synthroid had an apartment for her. The door opened after an eye-scan, and Corinna stepped inside.

Immediately, Corinna began to take off her ninja attire. The metal pieces were the first to go, along with the weapons. Then, she was left standing in the pleather bodysuit. Corinna slipped the hood of the suit off of her head, and her ebony hair spilled out and down to her mid-back. She took a deep breath and unzipped the back of the suit. Soon, the suit was loose, and Corinna proceeded to slide the second skin off of her body.

Terry arrived back at the Batcave sore and disgruntled. He sauntered in, and Bruce sat at the computer staring at the blank screen angry with Terry. He heard Terry's whimpers of pain, but he didn't let that discourage the scolding that was coming. "Terry," he said firmly.

Terry, knowing he was being disciplined, sighed. "I tried, Wayne," he breathed.

Bruce watched Terry pull off the mask of the Batsuit, and he saw the damage of the suit. He grimaced because he knew it would need to be fixed quickly. "That will have to be repaired," he told Terry.

"Yes." Terry answered awaiting what was next.

Bruce's cold, blue eyes met Terry's firm, blue eyes. "You could have been killed today, Terry." Bruce told him.

"I was fine." Terry said dully.

Bruce stared at the bat suit, which was spurting electric sparks. "Sure, you're fine."

Terry sighed again. "Look, I've had a rough day."

"Which is what nearly killed you today. You couldn't keep your mind where it needed to be."

Terry couldn't hold it in any longer; he had to tell someone. "Dana's gone!"

Bruce Wayne stared at Terry with wide-eyes. "Pardon?"

"Dana's family's moving, and I'll never see her again. She came to tell me goodbye today. _That's_ why I couldn't concentrate. I don't know when I'll be able to concentrate." Terry was on the verge of hysteria.

Bruce was quiet; he'd had his share of relationships that went awry. "I'm sorry, Terry."

"Yea, sure. Look, what can I do to get the suit fixed?"

"I'll fix it." Bruce replied.

Terry looked down at Bruce. "You sure? I could drop it off with Barbara if you don't feel up to--"

"I'll fix it, Terry. Now, you change and get home. You need some rest."

Terry nodded and didn't fight Bruce on the matter. He wanted to go home and rest because he needed the rest. Aside from that, all he wanted to do was go home and lay in bed, sulking.

Corinna's dreams were disturbing that night. Robots and machines closing in on her, pulling her to them, and crushing her in their mechanical limbs. She screamed, but the crushing continued. Her left side ached with extreme pain, and she awoke with a burning sensation in her left side. The pain took her breath away, and she looked around to make sure she was awake. To her discontent, she was. 'What is this pain,' she wondered. 'It's been coming every night for a few weeks now.'

Corinna tried to focus on her job rather than her pain. She could see Terry standing with Dana and breaking down in her arms. Corinna saw the fight between Terry and herself. She saw Arven slashing the bat suit and giving Terry a jolt. An evil smile crept across her lips, and Corinna soon fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.


	5. Distractions, Distractions part 1

A/N: CATgrl, again thanks for the reviews because they really make writing this story fun. Sorry for the delay but I've had a fairly busy weekend that kept me from being able to focus on my story. Trecebo, I do know that a Mary sue is where the author puts themselves into that particular character. I assure you that is not what I'm doing. I am nothing like Corinna, it'd be cool if I was because I'd love to be physically fit like that. I also don't plan on having her go after Bruce. I do agree he will me much harder to take down, and that is why Synthroid is going to try his luck on Bruce later. Okay, I'll stop rambling and give my story.

Chapter 5

Corinna woke to the afternoon sun shining in her eyes, and she groaned. She still wanted to lay in bed and sleep, but there was work to be done. She had to prepare for an evening of distracting Terry, and she wasn't exactly sure how she would go about that.

Forcing her body out of bed, Corinna stumbled into the bathroom and turned the sink on. Hot steam rose up from the scalding water, and Corinna decided to turn some cold water on with the hot. Then, she washed her face in the water. The warm liquid dripped down her neck and soaked her night shirt, but she didn't care. She preceded on to a shower hoping that would waken her even more.

Terry laid in bed half-asleep when he heard commotion in the rooms next to his. His little brother Matt had the television turned up as loud as it could be, and Terry moaned. There was nothing Terry wanted to hear less than that contraption. Honestly, the only thing Terry would have preferred to hear was Dana's voice. But, he knew that would never be a possibility. So, he rolled over onto his right shoulder and winced as his neck wound acted up.

Terry cursed and laid flat on his back and touched his neck. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "What does that ninja want," he asked himself. "She didn't take anything from the museum. So, what gives?"

Images of Corinna flying at him with graceful skill flooded Terry's mind, and he closed his eyes tight and rolled over onto his left side. He pulled the covers over his head and willed himself to forget what was going on and go back to sleep. His sleep was disturbed by nightmares where Dana was taken from him. Each dream grew worse until Dana was injured by Corinna's sword.

Terry sat up in bed after the nightmare and panted. "Just a dream," he assured himself.

It was close to sundown as Corinna began dressing for distraction. She had the perfect plan; she would head out to the route Terry took to get to Wayne Manor, and she'd wait for him to ride up on his motorcycle. She was dressing sexy to throw Terry off his guard and to play on his sensitive--due to his break-up--ego. There would be no long scene because Corinna planned to drug Terry as soon as she caught up with him. He'd be unconscious all night, and Synthroid could continue on with his plans.

Corinna slipped on her fishnet pantyhose, followed by a vinyl miniskirt, and last a burgundy, vinyl corset top. The last thing Corinna put on were her tall, snug, burgundy boots. She looked at herself in a full-length mirror, which appeared at the touch of a button, and grinned. "I think I'll turn heads tonight," she said as she adjusted her corset top to reveal more flesh.

Corinna walked over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. Various items filled the drawer: a laser gun, technology-advanced ninja stars, liquid nitrogen spheres, and make-up. Corinna picked the make-up out of the drawer and headed over to her mirror. Slowly, she worked on fixing her make-up. She wanted to go for a sexy, smart look and not a prostitute make-up job. So, Corinna was careful in selecting her colors and the shade of make-up she applied to her eyes, mouth, and cheeks.

As dark settled over Gotham, Terry headed out to check in with Bruce. He needed to know the updates on the ninja, if there were any. He also needed to know if there was any new threats for the night. He knew that his head was still not clear, but it was better than it had been. Of course, his heart argued different since the pain of Dana's leave was still sticking in his heart like pins and needles.

He climbed onto his motorcycle and sped out towards Wayne Manor. The rush of air caused his jacket to flutter behind him, and it gave Terry a little chill as the air slipped up under his shirt. He didn't mind it that much because it kept him level-headed and focused on the road instead of losing Dana.

Corinna heard Terry's motorcycle long before she could see it. She could also smell his cologne due to her trained sense of smell. She hurried out into the path that the motorcycle would take and stood there waiting for the motorcycle to come into view. There was a slight breeze that tossed her hair around, and it smelled like rain. Corinna hated that a storm was near, but there was absolutely nothing that could be done about mother nature. She hated any type of storm without really knowing why; it was just a fear she'd had since childhood.

Terry's motorcycle came into view. "Come on," she whispered with a grin on her face.

Terry saw Corinna standing in the way, and he tried to go around her. But, she ran right in front of him no matter the direction he tried to go. He finally had to slam on his breaks to keep from plowing her down. The motorcycle stopped suddenly and caused Terry to slide forward. "What the hell are you doing," he yelled to Corinna.

Corinna stepped closer and put her hands on the motorcycle. She stared into Terry's eyes with her cold, blue eyes. "Hello, Terry," she said in the coarsest voice she could.

Terry swallowed hard as he tried not to stare at the woman before him. Her outfit begged to be looked at though, and his eyes slipped for a moment before he regained control. "What do you want?"

Corinna reached out and stroked his cheek. Terry took in a deep breath and savored the soft touch, even though he knew nothing of the woman before him. "I just want your attention for a while." Corinna told him.

'No,' Terry thought. 'Start up your bike and go around her. Don't fall into something; you're smarter than this.' Terry listened to his conscience and started to turn the ignition back on.

Corinna's hand grabbed a hold of Terry's. She was leaning over the front portion of the motorcycle. "I'm not letting you leave," she told him.

"I have somewhere to be."

Corinna climbed up onto the motorcycle's front. Her face was inches away from Terry's, and that made him nervous. "I don't care where you need to be. You're mine for a while."

Terry back flipped off of his motorcycle and let it fall to the ground with Corinna still on it. She fell onto the hard concrete and scraped her arm. "You son-of-a--" she started to say as she rose to her feet.

But, she saw the fear in his eyes. 'Good,' she thought. 'You should fear me.' Corinna didn't know that Terry was fearing more than a physical fight with her. He was afraid that his entire being wanted to stay and see what she wanted with him. That really frightened him; even more than the thought of Bruce's punishment for not showing up.


	6. Distractions, Distractions part 2

A/N: CATgrl, I like your advice on vinyl and Terry's sudden attraction. Your reviews are always entertaining and inspirational.

Chapter 6

Corinna walked up to Terry and stood right in front of him. She stood eye-to-eye with him, and she leaned closer. She felt his breathing speed up because his breath was slightly blowing her hair. She lifted her hand up slightly and held it beside his cheek.

Terry cringed and shut his eyes. His mind was thoroughly confused with his surroundings, and he was getting mixed signals about what to do. He wanted to stay there with the strange woman, but he wanted to get to his job as Batman. Neither side of his mind gave in an inch.

"I have to go," he told her and began to walk away.

Corinna grabbed hold of Terry's arm. She had a tight grip and caused Terry to stumble back towards her. He stared at her bewildered by her strength, and he began to struggle against her iron grip. But, Corinna just pulled him over into a nearby alley.

Corinna pushed Terry against a steel wall and held him there. "Where are you off to in such a hurry? Some girl's place?" Corinna knew better but asked just to break Terry's mind down.

There was a pain stricken look that crossed Terry's face as he shook his head. His jet black hair tossed about as he shook his head. "No," he whispered.

Corinna felt a moment of sympathy for Terry seeing him so vulnerable and pitiful. She'd never experienced love and never cared to. Her family had been taken away from her at a young age, and she feared losing people close to her heart. She was surprised that Synthroid was still there, but he was half-machine and super strong. So, Corinna had no idea what Terry was going through; but then again, neither did he.

"Please, just leave me alone." Terry said as he stood up straight and tried to play it cool; Corinna saw right through his act.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere." Corinna replied.

"I've got work to do tonight." Terry informed her.

"Looks like you're going to miss it."

"No, I won't." Terry said bringing his leg up between Corinna and himself and pushed her away.

Corinna stumbled back a few feet as Terry began to run, so she ran after him. Even in boots, Corinna was able to catch up with him. She slammed her body against his and pinned him to the ground. Cars passed by as she felt his body tremble under her hold. His reactions frightened her, and she lifted her hands off of his back.

Terry didn't try to get away, and he didn't have the strength to even try. So, he laid under with Corinna's knee against his spine, which was terribly uncomfortable for him. His thoughts drifted back to Dana, and his breathing changed. He was mourning her leave once again, and it was a weakness that would kill him yet.

Corinna slowly rose off of Terry's back and watched him closely as he laid there on the asphalt. She crouched down and was about to touch his shoulder when he got up on his knees. He turned and looked at her with a mournful look, and Corinna couldn't control herself. She felt sorry for Terry and softly stroked his back. His back muscles tensed up at her touch, and she stood up.

Corinna walked over to Terry's fallen motorcycle and picked it up. He rose off of the asphalt and walked towards her. She mounted the vehicle and started it up, and she watched Terry's eyes go from pitiful and mourning to hard and cold. It was a look she could relate to. She pulled off with the motorcycle, and Terry jumped out of the way.

Terry wasn't about to let Corinna get away with his motorcycle, and he hopped onto the back of it. Corinna turned and faced him, laughing as she watched him hold on tightly. She had new plans, and they involved getting Terry to her hideout. Of course, she would have to make sure Terry wouldn't remember how to get there. So, she pulled out a spray bottle from a pocket on her right boot and sprayed a thick liquid in Terry's eyes.

Terry cried out and rubbed his eyes. The liquid made his vision go black, and he began to freak out. "What the hell did you do to me," he yelled.

"Just a small dose of a toxin a friend designed. Don't worry, you'll eyesight will be back in a few minutes." Corinna replied grinning.

The motorcycle arrived at the building that Synthroid had chosen for his hideout. It was dark, darker than usual, so Corinna knew Synthroid had all ready made his leave. So, she drove Terry's motorcycle around back next to the elevator that went up to her room. She glanced back at Terry, who was still rubbing at his eyes; she was sure his sight was close to clearing up.

Corinna shut off the motorcycle and hopped off. She strolled up to the eye scanner in front of the door. It scanned her retina's and pupils before processing. "You are clear to enter," it told her.

Corinna thought, 'No kidding,' as she strolled back over to Terry and pulled him off of the motorcycle.

Terry didn't fight Corinna, mostly because he couldn't see her and didn't know what she'd do to him if he fought back. So, he let her shove him through a doorway; he knew it was a doorway because his right shoulder hit the frame of it. He cried out in pain, and Corinna let out a frustrated sigh. "Where are you taking me," he asked angrily. Terry didn't like not being able to see where he was.

"Somewhere more private for discussing private matters," she informed him as she pressed the activation button on the elevator.

The elevator roared to life as it dropped down to floor one. The translucent, neon blue doors parted for entry. Corinna gave Terry a nice hard shove into the elevator before stepping in herself. "Hey, what was that for?" Terry grumbled as he rubbed the arm that slammed into the back of the elevator.

Corinna had a rush of ecstasy surge through her, and she held Terry against the wall. Not being able to see made him really worried, and his breathing was more of a pant. Corinna leaned in close and hesitated for a moment before pressing her lips hard against Terry's. She was curious to know what his mouth tasted like, and she forced his mouth open with her tongue. He didn't fight her, but he didn't move from where he was standing.

Corinna's hands slid down the wall, onto Terry's strong shoulders, then down his muscular chest. He tensed up at her touch, but she pushed through his reaction. Making out with Terry had opened up new and exhilarating doors to curiosity.

The elevator doors opened, and Corinna pulled Terry out of the elevator before releasing him from a kiss. She saw him blinking repeatedly, and she knew his sight was coming back to him. She walked over to the eye scanner in front of her door, and it cleared her to enter. Corinna reached over, grabbed Terry's wrist and pulled him into her apartment.

Terry was struggling against his mind, but Corinna had brought feelings to the surface that Terry was ashamed to feel. He wanted to follow Corinna wherever she would lead, and that brought protest from his conscience. But, he ignored that nagging voice and let Corinna pull him into a new room. His sight could make out blurs, but that was it.

Corinna quickly shoved her ninja gear underneath her bed and pulled Terry in front of her. She slid her hands underneath his jacket and began pulling it off. He stood still as the brown jacket was pulled from his body and tossed aside. Once again, Corinna ran her hands down Terry's chest and thought over what she was doing. She didn't feel there was anything wrong with what she was doing, so she pushed Terry down.

Terry was a little worried until his back hit the softness of Corinna's bed. Up until then, he thought she'd just pushed him over. His sight was a little more clear, and he could see Corinna's eyes pretty clearly. They were icy blue but had a warm quality at that moment. Her raven hair spilt down over her shoulders and onto his arms. He reached up and his touch told him that Corinna's hair was soft and silky.

Corinna leaned down and stared into Terry's light, light blue eyes. They were searching her face, and stopped at her mouth. Preoccupied with his eyes, Corinna jerked a little when Terry's hands grasped her hips. She wasn't sure what to think about that, but it made her heart flip.

Corinna slid her body down flat against Terry's, and caressed his cheek. He was handsome; she had to admit it. Knowing that Terry was Batman made what she was doing even more thrilling. Never had she broke barriers in her work, but she was breaking nearly every barrier she had there with Terry.

While Corinna was lost in thought, Terry leaned up and brushed his lips against hers, which caught her by surprise. She hadn't expected Terry to react, but the heat that rushed through her body told her that it was a good thing. So, she pressed her mouth firmly against Terry's--forcing him down further on her bed.

Finally, Terry's conscience had no control over him. He put all problems in his life to the side as he welcomed Corinna's affections. However, he did realize that he didn't know her name. So, he pulled his mouth away from hers.

"You didn't tell me your name." Terry was breathless from the kissing.

"Corinna," she whispered in his ear before resuming the kiss. Corinna had to admit she certainly had Terry distracted.


	7. Arriving with Force

A/N: Thanks CATgrl for the review. I like that I have you hooked. But, Corinna and Terry will not be making an appearance in this chapter. Sorry if that's disappointing, but this chapter is needed.

Chapter 7

Synthroid and his gang of ruffians had tracked down one of the top super villains in Gotham, one Spellbinder. He'd escaped being prisoner and was building up power until he could take on Batman once again. Synthroid realized how intelligent Ira Billings, the man behind the Spellbinder costume, really was. So, he decided to make his first impression by taking down such a powerful and promising crime master. His computers had searched all databases for information about Spellbinder, so Synthroid knew how to turn the tables against the Spellbinder. Being cyborg and all, Synthroid could simply turn off his hearing and switch to mechanical sight. That would leave Spellbinder with no control over Synthroid.

Spellbinder's hideout was a well-kept empty building on the outskirts of Gotham. Synthroid smiled and evil smile. He was dressed in black leather trench coat with black suit jacket and pants on underneath. He had a black hood over his head that had night vision goggles built into it. His allies were dressed similar to their boss, but they each adorned laser guns since they did not have the strengths of a cyborg.

The flying vehicle stopped in front of Spellbinder's hideout, and Synthroid opened the door. "Come, my minions, let's give this Spellbinder what we're made of." Synthroid exclaimed.

His companions shot open the door, even though Synthroid could have ripped it off of its old hinges. Synthroid stepped inside and found Spellbinder's group of runaways ready for a fight. "Boys, show these kids we mean business."

Synthroid's men opened fire upon the room but were careful not to critically injure any of the runaways, who ducked for cover. After they had scared all of the runaways to the ground, the firing ceased. "What do you want," one of the runaways asked. The runaway was young, about eighteen. But, he was the oldest one there.

"I want to meet with Spellbinder, now." Synthroid told him.

"I'm afraid the boss won't like that," the young man replied.

Synthroid raised his arm, and his men aimed their guns for the young man. "We could do this the hard way, boy."

The runaway trembled, a side-effect of fear and the drugs that Spellbinder filled his runaways' heads with. "I don't think I could persuade him to see things differently," he said quietly.

Synthroid looked back at his men then to the young man. "Then, we'll force him to see us." He lowered his hand, and the men began firing the walls down.

Spellbinder heard the commotion, and he knew that it wasn't Batman who'd found him out. Someone dangerous had entered his lair, and it was time for him to high-tail it out of there. So, he ran.

Synthroid was able to sense Spellbinder's cowardly instinctive behavior. He ran full speed for the nearest wall and plowed a hole right through it. He ran through the hall until he had found the hiding place of Spellbinder. Synthroid stopped running and listened intently. Spellbinder was inside the room getting his gizmos ready for mind control. Synthroid let out a laugh. 'Fool,' he thought, 'You're gadgets will not save you.'

Synthroid burst into the room, and Spellbinder spun around holding a glowing sphere, with an eyeball picture in the center, out. He was backed into a corner. Synthroid continued to walk closer and saw the fear take hold of Spellbinder. "You are not a hospitable host, Spellbinder." Synthroid pointed out.

"I don't have guests." Spellbinder replied.

"You are an intelligent man, but you have caused great evil to those kids. That's all they are, Spellbinder, lost runaway kids. You should be ashamed to stock their heads full of designer drugs that you design just to keep them doing your bidding just to have more. Pitiful humanitarian skills, Mr. Billings."

"How do you know me?" Spellbinder inquired.

"I know a lot about you; all the information Gotham's databases could give me."

Spellbinder glanced out the window and saw groups of Jokerz gathered around the windows. 'Scavengers,' he thought. 'They love to see a fight, but they don't want to be in one.'

Synthroid stepped closer, and Spellbinder threw a vile of acid onto his attacker. Synthroid hissed and wiped away the acid that did not begin to eat at his faux skin. Spellbinder gasped at the sight of steel under the skin. He knew that he had crossed a line that was not to be crossed. One simply did not irritate a cyborg because they had far too much power.

Synthroid, annoyed that he would have to replace the fake skin, grapped Spellbinder by the shoulders and squeezed just a little. Spellbinder's collarbone snapped like a twig in Synthroid's hands, and Ira Billings let out a scream of pain. Synthroid held tighter and tighter until he could feel Spellbinder's pulse thumping wildly against his hands. He didn't even have to cut air off or snap the neck of Spellbinder; Spellbinder simply died of fear. He feared what Synthroid would do, and a vessel in his heart overloaded and burst.

The Jokerz outside buzzed when they saw Spellbinder's limp body held up in Synthroid's hands. "Did you see that," one asked the group. "That dreg killed Spells!"

Synthroid let Spellbinder's body drop to the ground, and he looked out the windows at the Jokerz, who immediately scrambled away. "Yes, cowards, run and spread the word that Synthroid means business in this city."


	8. New Perspective

A/N: CATgrl, thanks for the review. Yes, Synthroid means some definite businesses, and the romance is slightly going to be in this chapter. I'm not real, real good with really heated scenes, even if I include some in nearly all of my stories.

Chapter 8

Terry was laying against Corinna's body and softly kissing her neck. He'd experienced more emotions within the time with her than he ever had in his life. He felt good at the time being and wasn't really concerned with the troubles in the world, or even the troubles that were stirring in Gotham. Terry had no idea that Corinna's mentor was out terrorizing the city to prove the point that he was stronger than the rest of them.

Corinna had her stare fixed on the wall as she let Terry kiss her neck. Her mind was dazed, and she was struggling to get a grip on what was going on. But all she seemed to notice was the soft touch of Terry's lips on the tender skin of her neck.

Corinna moved her glance to face Terry. His hair was a midnight black, just like hers, and she reached up and ran her fingers through the thick tresses. Terry stopped kissing her and nuzzled her neck; it made Corinna gasp. The feelings she was experiencing were foreign to her, and she felt extremely uncertain about how she felt. 'It's business,' she kept saying over in her mind, but her body didn't believe it. She knew there was something deeper beneath those words, something that was not suppose to happen.

'God, what would Synthroid say if I told him about this? All I was suppose to do was drug Terry to keep him from going after him. He'll kill me if he learns that I seduced Terry and got him in my bed.' Corinna thought. 'What's the matter with me? I've been a ninja for a while now. My training is still painfully fresh in my mind, and it tells me this is wrong. These feelings are wrong, but I'm liking them.'

Terry was still as he laid with his head against Corinna's collarbone. She could feel his breath softly on her skin, and she shut her eyes. Her sense of touch zoned in on each of his breaths that glided past her skin. Corinna knew by the way she was focusing on everything Terry did, like his breath against her skin, that she was in too deep for denial to be a cover up.

Terry was listening to the rhythmic beating of Corinna's heart when his pager went off. Its jingle was a high pitched series of beeps that made Terry jump. He slid over and picked his beeper up off of the floor. Bruce was contacting him. "Damn," he muttered.

Corinna leaned up on her elbows. "What's wrong?"  
Terry looked back at her. "I'm in serious trouble," he told her as he gathered up his clothes.

Corinna leaned back and stretched as Terry redressed himself. She knew Bruce Wayne was paging him, and her mindset was in not in ninja/assassin mode. She was simply going to let him walk out and know exactly how to get back, if he needed to. That simply mattered nothing to her because she liked knowing he could come back and visit her. Her hormones had kicked in and clouded all rational thought, and she could do little to fight it off.

Terry saw Corinna laying on her stomach watching him as he pulled on his jacket. She pointed to the door. "If you press the red button, it will let you out. Then, turn left and head down the hallway until you reach the elevator. The elevator will bring you to the bottom floor. Go right, and you'll be at the back exit." Corinna explained.

Terry nodded and raced for the door. Reality was settling back into his brain, much to Terry's dismay. He would have preferred staying in there with Corinna and feeling wanted again than go and be punished for failing to make a vital appearance in the city.

As soon as Terry left, Corinna got up and locked herself in her bathroom. She sat on the cold tile floor as she tried to get a grip on what was going on. Her body and mind were sending mixed signals, and Corinna got up off of the floor. She stepped into her shower and turned it on. The blast of cold water threw her back into reality right before the hot water cascaded down and comforted her.

Terry sped away from the building on his motorcycle, and he passed a vehicle that was slowly landing. He didn't worry with it since he had Bruce Wayne's fury to worry about. He didn't even notice that the vehicle landed at the front of the building he'd just been at.

Synthroid led his men, as well as the group of runaway junkies he'd taken with him, into the building. "Runaways, this will now be your home, and I will be your boss." He glanced back and saw the fear in all of the runaways' eyes. "Do not fear, I will not bring you harm as Spellbinder did."

The eighteen-year-old spoke up. "What about our addictions? Spells has us pretty wired."

Synthroid turned to him. "I have an injection that will clear your heads."

Synthroid walked into the building and found it perfectly dark, as he'd left it. He pushed a button, and lights along the top of a corridor lit up. "All runaways, follow me. We will deal with your addictions first. Then, you shall meet my good friend and ninja. She will be your teacher from here on out. But all of the things she fails to point out, I will show you. My ninja is limited where as I am not. I am a cyborg and have few limitations."

The runaways exchanged glances and began chattering amongst themselves. The eighteen-year-old said, "It must be nice to never have to give in to anyone."

Synthroid glanced back at the young man. "I answer to my ninja and my men. I employ a give and take system. I should not be giving all orders; I should be able to take orders as well."

"I believe there will be a very good professional relationship here," the young man replied.

Synthroid opened up his lab and ushered the junkies inside. "I assure you it will be. Soon, you will join my league of men and serve as my defense and friends." He picked up a syringe off of a pan of two dozen syringes. "Now, let me help you kick those addictions." None of the runaways had to be asked twice, and they all ran over to Synthroid in hopes to be cured of their haunting addiction.


	9. News from a Joker

A/N: Catgrl, sorry I've taken sooo long with this chapter. I knew I had to write it, but I just couldn't find what to write about. Finally, I made myself sit down and concentrate.

Chapter 9

Terry raced inside of the Batcave and found Bruce waiting for him at the computer. "You're late, McGinnis." Bruce replied in his deep voice.

"Yes, and I'm sorry. But, I was preoccupied."

Bruce didn't turn around. "You have duties to this city."

Terry sighed. "Yes, and I was heading here when I was forced to take a shortcut. But, a girl in a vinyl outfit stopped me and told me that I couldn't pass through her territory without fighting her." Terry was lying, but Bruce didn't catch on. Terry was glad that Bruce was naïve enough to the story to let it slide; he'd feared that the story was too lame to be believed.

"That really took you this long?" Bruce asked.

Terry nodded. "She was relentless in making sure I didn't pass into her territory."

"Who was she?"

Terry shook his head. "I don't know; I've never seen her before in my life."

Bruce sighed and decided not to push Terry since his girlfriend had broke his heart the day before. "Just suit up and get to work."

Terry nodded. "Yes, sir."

'I don't understand this boy sometimes.' Bruce thought.

Corinna was in the shower letting the hot water cascade down her back in torrid streams. Her mind was stuck on Terry and how confused her mind was. 'Should I keep him as a lover or just forget it? That's crazy; I can't just forget what happened here tonight.' Corinna thought as she rinsed shampoo out of her hair. 'I'll never be able to rinse that event out of my memory.'

Synthroid took an hour to administer the shots to the runaways, who in return laid on the ground writhing in pain. The shot was taking over an addiction that had become as normal as the setting sun, so there was a lot of pain as the shot ate away at the drugs in the junkies' systems. Synthroid watched, feeling a little emotional, as the kids moaned and screamed from the pain. 'Don't worry, kids,' he thought, 'It'll be much better after this moment.'

Soon, the runaways stopped kicking violently and laid still on the floor. Synthroid let out a breath he'd been holding. "That's better," he said as he walked over to the far end of his laboratory. "Men," he said. "Will you be so kind as to lead these kids to spare rooms. They'll need to rest for a little while."

The men nodded and picked up the runaways off of the floor. Synthroid slowly pulled a cover off of his equipment and went to work on a potion. It was a mixture of tranquilizers and toxins that would knock a person out cold for a nearly twenty-four hours. If he was lucky, he would be able to finish the potion and perfect it into a gas form and fill Wayne Manor with it. Then, he could destroy the Batcave with ease. 'It seems like a nice plan.' Synthroid thought. 'But, Bruce Wayne is smart, even to be such an old man. He'll have me found out before I can use the stuff. But perhaps, I can catch his little Batboy and keep him out of commission.'

Terry was out on the prowl when Bruce's voice came over his headset. "Terry," the voice said.

"Yea." Terry replied.

"There's a joker group heading towards you. They've stolen some merchandise from a jewel store."

Terry located the Jokerz and said, "I'm on them." Then, he dove down and landed behind the Jokerz. He listened in to their conversations.

"Man, did you see that thing that killed Spellbinder tonight? It was super strong. Nothing could have crushed Spellbinder's collarbone that easily. Something was seriously wrong with it. Something unnatural."

"Bruce." Terry whispered.

"Yes, Terry."

"Spellbinders dead." Terry replied as he stared wide-eyed at the Jokerz backs. He'd battled Spellbinder several times, and he was tough. He feared the existence of anybody who could kill Spellbinder so easily. 'How could that be possible,' he thought.

Batman flew over the Jokerz heads and landed on the concrete. "Why don't you all tell me where you're headed."

"None of your business, Bats."

Batman scowled. "I believe it is if you have stolen jewels."

The biggest joker pointed at Batman. "Listen, Bats, you have bigger, better dregs to go after. There's one lurking in this very city that crushed Spellbinder's collarbone tonight. Why don't you go looking for him or it?"

"Because _it_ didn't steal jewels; you did."

"Buzz off, Bats." A smaller, female joker suggested.

"Not likely." Batman replied.

"Okay, fine. Have it your way. You'll regret it."

Batman chuckled. "No, I believe you're wrong again."

The Jokerz rushed for Batman, but he flew out of the way. Two of the Jokerz spun around, including the female. She'd pulled out a ring with the power of a plug-in socket. When Batman flew close by, she punched out and gave him a nice jolt.

Batman fell to the ground and was surrounded quickly, but he kicked, punched, and flipped many of the Jokerz away. Before long, many of the Jokerz chickened out and scurried away. But, the female stayed where she was.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to run away, too?" Batman asked.

The female shook her head. "No, I'd rather take you on than that thing I saw tonight."

Batman stood still. "Tell me about what you saw."


	10. Security Issues

A/N: Catgrl, I've gotten another chapter up to sink your claws into. Okay, my pointless, stale humor is not needed. The story is enough, I hope.

Chapter 10

Corinna stepped out of her shower and headed down the stairs. She saw Synthroid's men carrying teenagers into spare rooms, so she quickly raced to Synthroid's lab to see what was going on. Her feet weightlessly carried her into the lab to find Synthroid busy with his projects. "What is going on here?" Corinna asked.

Synthroid turned around and saw Corinna standing there in lounge clothing. "I've taken a crime man's runaways over. They're now mine to order around. Of course, I will listen to their opinions."

Corinna pushed hair back behind her ear and saw Synthroid mixing chemicals. "What are you working on?"

Synthroid smiled and answered, "A potion that will turn to a gas and cause whoever inhales it to pass out and be out of commission for twenty-four hours."

"What are you mixing in it?"

"A lovely blend of tranquilizers and chemicals." Synthroid replied as he measured some heavy-duty tranquilizers.

"Who is it for? Jokerz?" Corinna asked as she leaned against the wall; her legs started to go numb. 'Please don't be for Terry.'

"I wish it to be fore Bruce Wayne, but he is a smart man to be such an advanced age. He'll figure out what I'm doing before I can send this stuff out. So, his little Bat will have to be my guinea pig."

'No,' Corinna thought as she said, "I see."

Synthroid turned and saw Corinna nearly sliding down the wall. "Are you ill," he asked.

Corinna shook her head, but soon nodded. 'It's better he believes I'm ill than know I slept with Terry,' she thought.

Synthroid set down his chemicals and tools. He headed to the sink and washed off his faux-skin, then he walked over to Corinna. She felt very light-headed as Synthroid lifted her up off of her feet and into his arms. For the second time in one day, Corinna had a strong sense of security. Although, Synthroid's security was much different than the security that Corinna had gotten from Terry. Synthroid was merely her superior and protector. Terry had become her lover and offered a life with love, which Corinna was stripped of as a young girl. Both left her torn between a choice to do what was right. She wanted to obey her protector/boss, but she wanted to proceed in seeing what love felt like.

"What did the Bat do to you, my ninja? You're vital signs are very low right now; you've been drained a great deal of energy. Did he fight against you tonight?"

"He did not want to be… reasoned with." Corinna muttered sleepily. She fought hard to keep from revealing her night with Terry to Synthroid.

"Well, you're all right now, Corinna. You're here with me, and I'll get you a shot to heal your inner weaknesses."

'You can't heal this one,' she thought as her mind grew disoriented.

Synthroid carried her up to her room and laid her on top of her blankets. He did not catch on to what had happened in the room not long before. He was more concerned with Corinna, since he had known her for so long; and, he knew that she just didn't tire easy--she was built to keep from tiring easy. He stroked her hair. "Rest well, Corinna," he whispered before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

Batman stood frozen as the female Joker was on her knees pleading to keep her safe from the new villain in town. "So, evil has a new name," he said out loud. "Synthroid."

The female Joker clung to Batman's leg. "Please," she begged, "Don't let him kill me."

Batman pried the young woman off of his leg and held her shoulders. While she'd told the story of what happened to Spellbinder, rain had came through and washed away the face paint on the woman's face. She was young, younger than Terry, and she was crying. "I'll take you to the police, and they'll put you somewhere safe." Batman told her.

"But, they'll lock me up," she protested.

Batman held her arm tightly. "Maybe, that's the direction you need to go," he told her. Terry knew about being kept for running with a rough crowd; he'd ran with a rough crowd and suffered the consequences. It had done him well, and he figured the girl before him deserved a new chance.

The girl didn't fight Batman anymore; she just let him lead her away from the alley where she and her Joker gang had been. She didn't care since she just wanted somewhere safe from Synthroid's power. She was young and never knew a life of crime had such risks as dealing with powerful beings like him. She cowered against Batman at the thought of Synthroid. "My name is Michelle," she said quietly.

Batman held the girl up by her arm; she had started leaning more and more as she rested against him. "Well, Michelle, what turned you to the Jokerz."

"It was something new; something more wild than what I'd all ready tried, and I could get some free stuff."

Batman grimaced. "That," he told her, "Is the wrong logic."

"I never thought I'd see someone so scary as Synthroid," she said completely ignoring Batman's reply to her. "Just his presence scared Spellbinder to death."

Batman had an idea. "Can you get me to that crime scene?"

Michelle looked up at Batman with fearful green eyes. "Yes," she said meekly.

"Please, take me there."

Michelle nodded and pointed in the direction. Batman told her, "Hang on," as he picked her up and fired up the thrusters in his boots. He flew in the air as Michelle pointed out the direction to Spellbinder's latest lair, never be used by him again.


	11. Subtle Threat

A/N: CATgrl, I still love to read your reviews. They always give me a smile because of the humor. I like how you note how dense Corinna can be on the matter of Synthroid. I'm sorry I haven't written much lately. This story is very hard to sit down and write out. It takes a lot of though that most of the time I'm not committed to when I get in from school. Tomorrow, I have a paper needing to be typed for an English class, so I probably won't get any extra writing finished.

Chapter 11

Michelle led Batman right to Spellbinder's lair. Batman gasped at the sight of the place tore up, and Michelle stared with wide-eyes. "It wasn't like this when we left," she told him.

Batman set Michelle down and took a step close to one of the holes in the wall. It was made by a laser gun, and Batman ran his hand around it. "Impressive," was all he said.

Michelle, uneasy about being left by herself as Batman headed inside, ran after Batman. She glanced around wearily, afraid that Synthroid was still lurking in the shadows. She was so caught up in her fears that she slammed into the back of Batman and fell down on the ground.

Batman leaned over and offered his hand to Michelle, who took a moment before accepting his help. "Be careful," he said gently, and she nodded. Batman knew she didn't really hear what he'd told her, so he didn't worry with telling her anything else. He just began to walk around to get an idea of what he was dealing with.

Laser gun holes filled the walls, and Batman didn't like that; he could dodge laser gun fire, but not enough to dodge the laser guns that shot holes in the walls. There just appeared to be too many guns that'd worked on the wall. "What happened here?" Batman asked himself.

"Where do you think the runaways are?" Bruce asked.

Terry glanced around. "I'm afraid to find out," he admitted.

"You think it's that bad. You think this Synthroid killed them all?"

Terry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He killed their leader, why not kill them?"

"It just seems too heartless."

Bruce, you for one should know that villains are heartless. What makes this guy different?"

Bruce mulled over the question. "Because, there's something different about this one's strategies. The laser guns are a well known aspect of villain life, but the carnage that has been done is far beyond the mental capacity of any normal villain."

"What are you saying?"

Bruce sighed. "I think it's all set up."

"Why would this be set up?" Terry argued. "It looks pretty real to me."

"That's the point, Terry. We're meant to believe this was really a massacre to keep us away from what is really occurring."

"Bruce, you're not taking in meds with hallucinations as side-effects are you?" Terry asked not really wanting to believe that he was being set up.

"McGinnis." Bruce growled.

"Okay, sorry. So, this set-up theory; where do I start to try and figure that out?"

"Just get Barbara down there." Bruce told him.

"All right."

Batman called up Commissioner Gordon with one of his gadgets. "Hello, Commissioner, I have an emergency here. A new villain is in town, and he's set us up. I need you to come take a look at this for me and help provide answers."

"Terry, it's getting late."

"I was told to contact you and let it alone." Terry said quietly.

Barbara sighed on the other end of the call. "Fine, McGinnis, but just because Bruce asked for me to come take a look."

"How kind." Terry replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"McGinnis, the sarcasm is not necessary."

"Yes, ma'am." Terry replied.

Barbara hung up the call, and Terry sighed. Bruce's voice came over the headset. "Head back here, Terry."

"Sorry, boss. I'd like to stay here with Michelle until Barbara gets here to take her. I can't leave her here all alone so shaken up."

Bruce was quiet for a moment. "All right. Make sure the girl is safe."

"No problem."

Commissioner Gordon and a team of police officers got the Spellbinder's lair pretty quick, and Batman was relieved. In all honesty, he was really tired from his early activities with Corinna. But, he did his duty of Batman by waiting for support.

Barbara saw Michelle and the outfit she was wearing. "McGinnis," she hissed at the boy underneath the Batman costume. "Who is the girl?"

"Michelle is her name. She's afraid this Synthroid will come after her and kill her like he killed Spellbinder."

"Have you seen his body?" Barbara asked.

"No, but I haven't let Michelle out of my sight to wander off."

Barbara looked Terry in the face. "Go find out if the girl knows how to find Spellbinder."

Batman nodded and walked over to the frightened ex-Jokerz member. He knelt beside her, she was huddled in the corner of the room. "Do you know where Spellbinder is?"

Michelle's eyes held deep fear as she said, "He's dead."

"Could you show us where?"

Michelle scrunched her face up as she nodded. "Yes," she whispered as she covered her eyes.

Michelle stood up and began leading Batman to where Spellbinder was killed. Barbara and her team followed behind Batman until he stopped. They all looked around before settling their gaze upon Spellbinder's fallen body. Michelle didn't look but said, "His collarbone was crushed before he died. I'd say Synthroid choked him if I hadn't saw the scene. Spellbinder died of fright."

Barbara and Batman walked over and peered down at Spellbinder's body. Barbara thought for a moment before saying, "I think this was all set up. Synthroid is flexing his power in front of everyone to prove that he's game to go after the big prize." She turned to Batman. "You," she said meaning Terry _and_ Bruce.


	12. A Change of Heart

A/N: Thanks to my great reviewers: CATgrl and BabyKakes. Your reviews helped me get this chapter going.

Chapter 12

Corinna dreamed while she was asleep, and she was once again surrounded by machines. There was no escape from the tall, steel creatures that held a firm grip on her; not about to let her get away. Their steel clamps began to crush the left side of her body, and she screamed as loud as she could.

Corinna's dream grew better as light poured down onto the machines, and a dark figure crashed down against the machine in front of her. It convulsing then its metal hand released Corinna's arm. The dark figure dropped down in front of her, and she saw it was Batman. "Terry!" Corinna screamed.

Terry pulled out some Batarangs and sliced the machines up until they could no longer function. Corinna ripped the remaining machine arms off of her and threw them as hard as she could. She went over to Terry and hugged him, and he put his arms around her.

Corinna woke up to an incessant buzzing coming from the lower levels. She growled as she had to wake from her the pleasantness of her dream. But, she got up and headed to freshen up.

Synthroid had all of the runaways in the meeting hall, where they were all eating breakfast. He kept an eye out for Corinna because he heard the rush of water in the pipes. So, every little while, he glanced for the entrance of the room. He had plans for her to meet the runaways, and he hoped she would show long enough to speak with them.

Corinna, dressed in her ninja attire, stepped into the meeting room and saw all of the runaways pause from their meal to stare at her. She felt her temperature rise because she was nervous; she hadn't realized that Synthroid intended to keep the runaways. All she figured was Synthroid took them in to show his strengths. But, she didn't know what Synthroid was thinking anymore.

"Ahh, this is my ninja, Corinna!" Sythroid announced.

Corinna saw that the eighteen-year-old was watching her every move, and she saw him raise his eyebrows at her. 'Watch it,' she thought. 'I all ready have a love life, and I won't take a dreg like you hitting on me.'

"Hello, Corinna," he said.

"Hello." Corinna replied. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Jim," the boy replied.

"Well, hello Jim." Corinna replied.

Corinna headed for the kitchen, and Jim watched her walk away. He felt a strong attraction for her, and he knew that he would have her. One way or another, she'd be his. Synthroid saw the way Jim was looking at Corinna, and he devised a perfect plan to keep the runaways his. He would fix Corinna up with the leader of the runaways, and that would secure the runaways for his disposal.

Slyly, Synthroid followed Corinna into the kitchen, where she was eating an apple while sitting on a levitating counter. She glanced over at her mentor and saw a mysterious look glittering in his eyes. "What is up?" Corinna asked with a dark need to know Synthroid's current plans.

"Jim seems to like you." Synthroid said seemingly innocently.

Corinna rolled her eyes. "So?"

Synthroid grinned evilly. "I need to you date him."

"What?" Corinna shouted as she hopped down off of the counter.

Synthroid kept the grin plastered on his face. "If you date him, I have no way of losing the rest of the runaways."

"Find another way." Corinna protested as she set down her apple; she was too angry to finish the little that was left of it.

Synthroid waved his finger at her. "Tsk, tsk. You do as I say, Corinna," he growled.

"No way," she protested. "We have an equal give and take relationship, Synthroid!"

Synthroid walked closer and grabbed Corinna's right arm and held tightly. Corinna squirmed but felt her boss's grip slowly tighten more as she wiggled. Pieces of her dream flashed before her eyes, and she realized where her loyalty belonged; in Batman. Synthroid was turning into her enemy, and soon he would turn against her. She wasn't going to stand around and let that happen.

Corinna kicked as hard as she could with her left leg into Synthroid's right kneecap, the only weak place he had on his body after his extensive machine implants. Synthroid cried out in pain and released Corinna, and he grabbed his knee as he scowled at Corinna. He hissed and watched her run out of the kitchen. "Corinna, stop!"

Corinna heard Synthroid calling, but she wasn't about to stop and listen to her former teacher. He was no longer the man he used to be; he wasn't even an man anymore because he was too much machine. So, she headed out to find Terry, the one person she knew she could trust then.

Terry woke groggily but was glad it was the weekend, so he just laid in bed. He'd dreamed of Corinna, and it had been pleasant. Even thinking about her was pleasant, and it made the rest of his world seem quiet and relaxed.

Terry listened closer and heard no sounds coming from outside his walls, and he sat up in bed. "Where could Mom and Matt be?"

Terry started to get and jump out of bed when his trained hearing picked up a soft tap on his windowsill. He spun around and saw the ninja he'd fought as Batman crouched on his windowsill. He gasped and wondered how she'd found him, then his brain recalled that she had mentioned she knew all about him, and Bruce.

Terry started to back away, and the ninja used a laser to cut out the window's pane of glass. It started to fall, but the ninja caught it. Terry was about to flee his room when the ninja spoke. "Terry, don't run."

Terry hesitated when he recognized the voice. It was the same as Corinna's voice, and he gasped. The ninja nodded and started to pull her goggles and hood away. Terry watched with wide-eyes as the dark hair spilled down around the ninja's face and shoulders. But, she moved the hair out of her face to reveal that she was Corinna.

"No." Terry said quietly feeling betrayed that Corinna was one of his enemies.

"Don't worry, Terry. I'm not your enemy anymore. Synthroid has changed, and I can no longer work by his side."

Terry's eyes widened again. "You work for Synthroid?"

"Did." Corinna replied.

"He's set me up."

Corinna thought for a moment and didn't understand what she was being told. "What?"

"Spellbinder's death was a way to lure me in, and he wants me to think that he killed the junkies that Spells always kept."

Corinna grinned. "The runaways are with Synthroid."

Terry smiled. "It looks like you've solved one riddle for me."

"You're in for more trouble, Terry."

"I had no doubt about that." Terry admitted.

Corinna stepped up next to Terry and looked him in the eyes. "I can help you," she whispered.

Terry felt her breath upon his neck, and he felt intoxicated by her presence. He leaned down and kissed her hard. Corinna pulled away and stared at Terry for a moment before she began shedding her metal armor. Soon, she stood before Terry in her sleek, black uniform.

Corinna wrapped her arms around Terry's neck and pressed her mouth against his. Invitingly, he accepted her kiss and held her tightly against him. Corinna's mind flashed back to her dream, and she felt secure in Terry's arms. But, her mind did not mull over the dream any further because her mind told her it was no longer important; she'd found out that Synthroid was now her enemy while Terry was her ally and love.


	13. Betrayed

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! CATgrl, I like your take on dense men, hehe. It is amazing how clueless Synthroid is to how Corinna feels. And Dark Libra 09, thanks for your review that was ecstatic for the Corinna and Terry fluff.

Chapter 13

Corinna pushed Terry down against his bed and kissed him hard. He held her close against him as he held onto her kisses. Her slippery, pleather outfit was a little difficult for Terry to hold onto. As his hands slid down her back, they brushed over the suit's zipper. Terry grasped the zipper in his fingers and slowly began to slide it down, and Corinna did not fight him on it. She felt the suit loosen as the zipper went further down, and she sat up on Terry's chest.

With Terry's help, Corinna began to pull the suit off of her body. The suit fit Corinna like a glove, so it was a struggle to remove it from her skin. Soon, her upper body was free, and Terry rolled her down against his bed. Again, they both worked to get the bottom of her suit off of Corinna.

Corinna gave Terry an airy kiss, then softly bit down on his bottom lip. Her heart was beating uncontrollably as Terry's hands brushed her hips. "I can take you to Synthroid's hideout," she whispered.

Terry locked his knees against Corinna's hips as he threw her suit onto his bedroom floor. He leaned down two inches from Corinna's face. "Later, we can go after Synthroid," he told her before he pressed his lips against Corinna's.

Synthroid stomped around the meeting room as he devised a plan. "Jim," he shouted to the runaway leader.

Jim walked up to the cyborg and asked, "What is it?"

Synthriod rubbed his kneecap and growled with a dark gleam in his eye. "Find her; find Corinna. Bring her back here, so that I can show her punishment."

Jim grinned evilly. "Yes, sir."

"Take my men with you." Synthroid replied as he waved his group of men to follow Jim and the runaways.

Synthroid watched as everyone cleared out of his hideout, and he sulked away to his lab. He proceeded to the freezing unit hidden within a lab table. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the syringe of blood. "Maybe, this will come in handy if Corinna fails me," he said to himself.

Jim led the runaways through the alleyways in search of clues, but he was coming up short. He stood alone in an alley and stared up at the clouded sky. "What now," he asked himself.

"Hey, kid, get over here." One of Synthroid's men called. "One of your bunch is going nutty."

Jim turned around and saw Amelia, a nine-year-old, twitching uncontrollably. She tended to behave that way whenever she was getting a prediction or a glimpse into the past, present, or future. So, Jim rushed over to Amelia and held her firmly by the shoulders.

"Amelia," he spoke soft but firmly.

Amelia grew still then grabbed hold of Jim's shoulders. "I know where she is," the girl said in a sing-song.

Jim's eyes glowed with a desire to know. "Where?"

Amelia's eyelids fluttered. "With the Bat."

Jim's eyebrows furrowed. "He's never out in the daytime."

"I never said he was." Amelia added. "Look."

Amelia put her hands on Jim's temples, and all the images she was seeing flashed through his brain. He could see Terry and Corinna having sex, and he jerked out of Amelia's grasp. He grabbed the girl and shook her a little violently to erase the oncoming visions; he didn't want Amelia to have memory of it. Amelia woke up from her trance-like state and had a blank look on her face. Jim sighed knowing that she did not remember her vision.

Jim stood up and grabbed a com-link from one of Synthroid's men. He channeled Synthroid and waited for him to accept the signal. "Yes," the harsh voice of the cyborg said.

Jim smirked. "I know where she is."

"Tell me."

Jim stepped far into the alley to be out of earshot. "With the man who is behind the Batsuit."

"What do you mean 'with?'" Synthroid asked with a new tone to his voice.

Jim raised his eyebrows. "I mean as close as she can be with him."

Jim heard Synthroid growl. "How dare she betray me," he spat. "Return here at once. This is something that must receive full punishment."

"Aye, aye, sir." Jim replied before canceling the signal.

Synthroid exhaled so hard that gears were popping off his chest. He threw a punch into the wall with his right hand, and pulled it back to reveal a large hole in the wall. He growled and stomped back over to the syringe of Terry's blood. He grinned madly as he said to the air, "All right, Corinna, let's see what you think of me toying with your little lover."


	14. Patnership

A/N: Sooo sorry this chapter is so past-due, but I've had a few personal tragedies and didn't feel like writing. Anyway, I hope I take my wonderful reviewers back up if I start writing again. I especially hope I can get CATgrl's attention back. Still, very sorry for the belated chapter, which has been even more belated because the day I was going to post this, Fanfiction was updating. Well, it's here now, and I hope all of you still read it.

Chapter 14

Synthroid was busy mixing chemicals with drops of Terry's blood to create a poison that would hit Terry hard. All the trials were failing, and Synthroid's patience was running thin. Finally, he dumped all the vials together to find the mixtures foam and smoke, but they mixed together to form a deadly concoction. Amazed by his stroke of luck, Synthroid picked up the beaker of chemicals and stared at it; it fizzed and spat. Synthroid chuckled and said, "Let's hope this will get rid of the Bat."

Jim, the runaways, and Synthroid's men burst into the room. "Synthroid." Jim said to get the Cyborg's attention.

"Suit up, my men, we head out. Runaways, follow them and let my men get you some armor." Synthroid said. "Except Jim. You stay here."

Jim walked over to Synthroid and stared up at him. Synthroid's chemical concoction swirled within the beaker in a wide range of blues and greens. "What is that, sir?" Jim asked.

"This," Synthroid told him. "Should take out the Bat." I will give you some to put in a dart gun. If I do not get to Batman first, I want you to."

Jim grinned evilly; he liked the sound of that. Especially since he wanted Corinna for himself. "I would be ecstatic to take out Gotham's hero." Jim replied.

Corinna had laid in Terry's strong embrace for a long time before Terry sat up. She hadn't known why until she saw some device, with a blinking light, on Terry's desk. She knew that Bruce must be calling Terry, and she watched Terry race over to the device as he pulled his jeans on. The sight made Corinna laugh as she sat up and stretched. Her spine popped a little then she let her shoulders slump over, relaxed.

Corinna reached down in the floor and picked up her suit, and she dreaded having to put the suit back on. But, she slowly slid the second skin back on and proceeded in locking the armor plates into place. Then, she slipped the weapons in their holsters and was ready to move into the fast-approaching night.

Terry answered Bruce's call and was thankful that the device he was using only showed Bruce his face because he didn't want to explain to Bruce why he was standing with no shirt on and pants that were on but not zipped up. "Terry, we have trouble."

"All ready?" Terry asked disgusted. He glanced over to the window then back at the device. "It's not even fully dark yet."

"I know, but our new enemy is out and about."

"What's happening, Bruce?" Terry asked as he became serious and forgot all but his work.

"Building are being invaded by what witnesses call cyborgs."

"Do we have a figure?"

"Over four dozen."

Terry sighed. "Damn, that's a lot for me to handle at once."

"Well, you won't be handling them all at once, McGinnis." Bruce replied. "They are attacking in four teams."

Terry sighed again. "Great. I thought it was bad enough to have to deal with one group of forty-eight. Now, I have to deal with four groups of twelve!"

Corinna listened in on the conversation with full interest. She knew it was Synthroid's work, and she wanted in. "Terry, I want to help."

"McGinnis, who's there?" Bruce demanded.

Terry turned and shot Corinna an angry look that shouted, "Why are you getting me into trouble?" Terry turned back to the device and said, "This is the ninja that attacked me a few nights ago. She's going to take me to Synthroid."

"McGinnis." Bruce warned.

Corinna walked up and took the device from Terry's hands. "Bruce Wayne, I swear this is not a set up. Synthroid has become my enemy, and I can no longer work with him. His demands are no longer something I wish to deal with, and I will have no problem showing him how well he taught me over the years."

"What is it that you can tell me about what Synthroid is up to tonight?"

Corinna smirked. "He is looking for me; he is angry and wants to punish me. But, he knows too well that I will not come quietly. I will fight him to the death before I let him drag me back into his maniacal scheme."

Bruce sighed. "If you can help us find him, then I will put full trust in you."

"I thank you, and I won't let you down. I can hunt Synthroid down because I could hear the distinct sound of his mechanical body hum from miles away."

Terry took the device back from Corinna and asked Bruce, "Where do I start?"

"The old part of town. It is being attacked first."

Corinna thought for a moment. "Does Wayne Manor have good security," she asked.

Terry turned to face Corinna as Bruce replied, "Yes, it has good security." Terry turned back and made a face at the device's monitor; he knew that the manor did not have really good security because bad guys seemed to find ways into it every now and again. So, he had to know why Corinna was curious.

"Why is that important?" Terry interrogated.

Corinna stared at him. "Because, Synthroid will hit it in force. He wants to prove to Gotham that he can take down Batman. How else to rid the city of Batman than take out his mentor's home and the home to the Batcave.

Terry scowled. "You told him where the Batcave was while you were working for him."

Corinna backed away from Terry since she did not care for the angry look she was receiving. "At the time, I was not your ally. So, I did. That is why we must steer Synthroid off of that path."

Terry growled and asked Bruce, "How much time do we have?"

"Enough."

"Good." Terry replied before shutting the device off.

Corinna backed away some more and stood observing Terry's every movement. Her ninja training allowed her to be ready for any sudden move that would mean to harm her. "Terry," she said gently but forcefully warning him.

"Don't worry. I won't hold it against you if you can stop him. I'll need your help if I'm to take on forty-eight cyborgs."

"They aren't cyborgs, Terry." Corinna told him.

"What?" Terry asked as he pulled the mask of his suit on.

"Only Synthroid is a cyborg. The rest are dressed in metal armor to look like they are cyborgs. Plus, not all of them are men; some are Spellbinder's runaways."

Terry mulled over the information. "That gives us a good advantage."

"I thought it would."

Terry and Corinna rushed out of the window that Corinna had slipped thought hours before. Terry leapt out and started his thrusters. He turned around to see if Corinna wanted him to fly her there, but she was already hopping from roof-to-roof in the direction of battle. Terry shrugged and flew the way that Corinna was headed and hovered over her once he had caught up.

"We're headed to Wayne Manor, correct." Corinna said.

"That is correct." Terry replied.

"Even though I know the way, why don't you lead?" Corinna suggested.

"My pleasure. Do you think you can keep up?" Terry teased.

"Oh, believe me, I can."

So, Terry began to fly and grinned as he saw that Corinna ran almost as fast as he could fly. He was amazed that she was trained so well, but he was also glad when he thought about the battle that the two of them would be engaged in. The skills she possessed would be a great addition any combat.


End file.
